Day 20 - Pauses for Lent - Forgiven

3/28/2019

The “F” word--Forgiven

That’s a scary thought for a title; the “F” word. It’s really a scary word too. It’s a word that’s easy for us to say but a bit more difficult word for us to practice. It’s a word we all pray for, if not every day, at least every week; “…forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” The ironic thing is, we pray it’s something we receive only as we give it and we don’t generally give it too easily.
You know what I’ve experienced in my own life, that when I hold on to forgiveness, it typically gets the best of me, consumes me, eats me up inside. And then I stumble upon words like this from Paul to the Ephesians, Paul to you and me, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph 4:31–32).

Matthew West has an amazing song, “Forgiveness”, whose lyrics remind me of the power of Christ’s forgiveness... “Forgiveness... it moves away the mad inside, …it’s always anger’s own worst enemy... It’ll clear the bitterness away… There is no end to what its power can do. So let it go and be amazed by what you see through eyes of grace. Forgiveness, forgiveness...”

Almighty God, help me to pray the words I mean and to mean the words I pray. As we journey through this Lenten Season, toward the cross of Christ, the cross of forgiveness, may we receive the forgiveness you offer and maybe even better yet, offer the forgiveness we have so freely received through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

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